If you identify as a person with disability,
kindly close your eyes,
and in your head, repeat after me:
I am a person
with disability.
Thank you.
I have bipolar disorder, type two.
I am brave to say it now,
but it actually took me almost 20 years to be clinically diagnosed.
I had all the symptoms,
but I did not seek for medical attention.
Now I'm giving myself a gift.
If I can be real honest,
I was in denial, and I was ashamed of it.
And here's another interesting story.
My bipolar diagnosis
was actually prompted by having a chronic illness.
I know.
And in the Philippines,
having a chronic disease can be a reason for employment discrimination,
which I experienced firsthand.
And since nobody decided to employ me,
I decided to employ myself,
and started my company instead,
to contribute in building the future of work
that leaves no one behind.
Little did I know --
(Applause)
that starting this company --
thank you --
also triggered my healing journey
in embracing my reality as a person living with disability.
Worldwide, one in seven people has a disability.
Disability is a reality that affects us all.
It's part of the diversity of human experience.
We may be born with it,
acquire it through an accident or aging,
or as a result of trauma and abuse.
Over one billion people with disability in the world.
Hundreds of them are unemployed,
especially in developing countries like the Philippines.
Their economic inactivity and unemployment
puts them at a greater risk of insufficient social protection,
making them more vulnerable to extreme poverty.
And the impact on our global economy?
Trillions of US dollars lost in GDP.
That's before the pandemic.
Trillions lost because our society excludes people like me
[from] simply getting a job.
And it's not just me.
Almost everyone in my team experienced this systemic problem.
So we built a virtual school
that equips our students with the skills and the mindset
to work as online service providers.
We have hundreds of graduates in over 60 cities and provinces
all over the Philippines,
earning an average income that is 60 percent above the minimum wage.
But we realize
that for vocational programs to be truly sustainable and effective,
technical skills and employment support are not enough.
So we invested in having a resident psychologist
to help our students process their past experiences,
restore human dignity
and embrace their realities.
After completing our program,
92.6 percent
claim that they have embraced and they have understood their disability.
So my advice to organizations
that are investing in talents with disability
is to look internally
and identify unconscious bias of our people around those disabilities.
From there, validate and address their fears,
and work with your people to cocreate a solution --
an inclusive solution --
together.
This is how we can build and sustain
a safe space that nurtures healing
and disclosure.
Disclosure is the key to this systemic and intergenerational problem.
Speaking from my personal experience,
the journey to embracing a disability
is painful.
It's like coming out of the closet
or sharing a story of sexual assault.
It forces us to revisit the hidden past
or confront an uncertain future.
It is extremely difficult,
and it requires a strong support system,
something that you and I can build together.
So that ...
hopefully, less and less people will ... suffer in silence.
We need to effectively heal
to fight inequality.
The only way for us to build,
to truly build a world where people can truly find belonging,
is to start with healing.
Thank you.
(Cheers and applause)